The Result of Bothersome Cousins
by On Edge
Summary: Luxa finds a new prophecy in Ares' old cave. Gregor comes back to the Underland, this time with his cousins.R&R pleasde. Constructive criticism welcome.Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Underland Chronicles okay? If I did, everyone would be reading a 6****th**** book with a really cool ending. (Unlike the 5****th**** book)**

**A/N- This is another Gregor's cousins comes to visit fic. I was too lazy to go check the name of his cousin in the 4****th**** book, so I made up OC's, okay? Ares is dead sob. Luxa & Gregor, but not much because then this would be fluff. Also, I hope this doesn't turn out to be too much like other fanfics, I tried to be original with my characters. **

**Chapter 1: Zack and Shannon **

Boots opened the door. "Hi you!" she exclaimed.

Right now, Gregor's cousins probably thought that he had been teaching her to talk like that.**(A/N I don't have a great vocabulary)** They'd bring it up later, too, Zack and Shannon. His least favorite cousins just had to visit when he was recovering from the battle in the Underland. Shannon was really smart, too, she'd know something was up and would tell Zack.

At least the twins weren't that much older than him, only two months. He had matured in the Underland too. Man, it hurt to think about that place! Luxa, Ares, Howard, Hazard, and all the others. Did they miss him? He hoped so, it would hurt him to know the his friends had forgotten him, but it's not like he did know, he was stuck in the Overland with Shannon and Zack.

He went to the girls room. There he found Lizzie helping their grandma out of bed. "Hey, Liz!" he tried to sound excited, "Shannon and Zack are here, why don't we go say 'hi!'"

He could tell she was about to dash, he was the only one in their family who didn't really like Zack and Shannon, but she had to help their grandma first.

" I'm okay, Lizzie, you go ahead to see your cousins," their grandma said. Lizzie gave an alarmed look at first, but then seemed to calm down. "Okay," and with that Lizzie ran out the door.

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**A day later**

**A/N I would have ended it there, but that would have been short**

"Man, I just want to go down to the laundry room and jump into the grate!" Gregor thought. Zack and Shannon were unbearable, just like he expected, but they hadn't been like that around anyone else, "No, just me," he thought.

Shannon also knew something was up, she and Zack had dragged him into the stairwell and confronted him, but he acted calm and the two brunettes walked away disappointed.

When his thoughts wandered back to the Underland and whether or not he should go down there, he remembered that the currents were in full force. I'll need to go , I can't stay locked up here, I would die from not knowing what was happening.

Just then, he heard scratching.

**Please don't flame, but constructive criticism is welcome, I could use some help.**

**A/N Depending on when I post this, the second chapter might take a while. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I am so sick of this, and it's only my 2****nd**** Chapter! Anyhow, "I don't own the Underland Chronicles," says in a sing-song voice. There, happy?**

**A/N- Thanks to all of you who reviewed! You encouraged me to write this chapter, I wouldn't have without you guys! So, well, thanks. Also, please in your reviews include any suggestions that you think would make the story better. On with the chapter.**

**Chapter 2: The Truth**

The scraping continued to get louder. Gregor ran to find Boots and Lizzie in the kitchen. Lizzie looked like she was a piece of art; she was standing perfectly still and, by the looks of it, had just been buttering a piece of toast for Boots.

" Gregor, do you know what that is?" she asked in a hushed, timid voice.

Gregor thought he knew _exactly _what that was. The rats, or, more likely, Ripred had sent some messengers. Which wouldn't turn out the way Gregor's mom wanted it too.

Lizzie knew what it was too. Gregor just nodded to confirm her thoughts. She let out a shaky breath, and then said, " I knew this would happen."

" Really, you knew the rats would start working their way through the walls?" Gregor said with a grin. Soon, though, his grin fell off his face. This wasn't the time to joke around. Lizzie might have visited the Underland now, but it still frightened her. Especially since this brought back memories of her days with their dad and grandma, alone. Knowing their mom had a deadly plague and that Gregor and Boots had gone after the cure.

Just then, Zack ran into the room dragging Shannon. Lizzie's hand flew to her mouth at the scene. Boots got a confused look on her face and asked, " What you doing, Zack?"

Zack ignored her and said, " Tell me what it is, you know." He had a harsh look on his face, as if he was about to murder someone. Boots started to cry. Shannon wiggled free from Zack's grip and came over to comfort Boots. Which annoyed Gregor even more. " Why does she comfort Boots and act so cruel around me?" he thought. Sure, he was a rager, but was he supposed to kill his cousin? He remembered Stellovet and how she wanted Luxa and Nerissa dead so she could become queen, or, at least, princess. No, he wasn't, his mom would be fuming, or she would lock him up, or, cry.

" What's up?" he asked . It must have irritated Zack because he answered, " The ceiling."

Gregor sighed, at least he tried to be nice to Shannon and him, he was always, though, outright outrageous!

Gregor's eyes bored into Zack's green ones. Zack responded to this by saying, this time more gruffly, " What do you know?"

Gregor hesitated; it was the one thing he shouldn't have done.

" Tell me," Zack said in a deadly tone. " This guy needs to go to an anger management class," Gregor thought. Man, Lizzie was probably scared to death! Boots, too! His parents really shouldn't have left.

Gregor glanced at Lizzie. It was apparent that she wanted him to tell Zack.

Slowly he said," There's a place called the Underland…"

**A/N Please review! The next chapter will either be up later today or tomorrow. Thanks for reading this, it makes me happy ( there goes my horrible vocabulary).**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own the freaking books okay? Everything belongs to Collins.**

**A/N I know I said I would post Monday or Sunday, but I was way to busy, sorry, and please don't hate me. I don't know if you know about what I wrote about how horrible I think the last chapter was because I ignored after the first paragraph that there was a scraping sound and it would get louder and they would try to get out. So… last chapter was like a filler, almost, about how their personalities might have changed or something. This chapter will be catching up in the action. Thanks to all who have reviewed so far:**

**Flooj, Lustblood, tainted-ghost, LuxaTheUnderlander, Ares Is Awesome (AIA), and GreenAwesomeness.**

**Chapter 3: The Underland Revealed **

**Gregor POV (A/N Sorry I forgot to do this before) **

There was no choice, ultimately. They would have found out eventually… but that wasn't his biggest concern at present.

Zack was taking in his every word, but all Gregor said was, " There's a place called the Underland with giant creatures like bats, rats, crawl- cockroaches, mice, spiders, moles, lizards, and a bunch of violet eyed, super pale skinned, silver haired race of humans that traveled down there following a guy named Bartholomew of Sandwich in the 1600's, or at least that's when the humans came, the rest were there long before. That sound is the rats, the small ones, messengers for the big ones, scratching the walls."

Zack and Shannon stared at him.

" Why aren't we getting out of here then?" they asked in unison. " We should go somewhere safe if what your saying is true," Shannon completed

" Well… the thing is… all I have to do to get them to leave, since my parents aren't here, is tell them I'm coming down," Gregor said.

Gregor was actually excited. They were calling for him, they wanted him to come back! This time, though, his cousins would insist on coming if Gregor, Lizzie, and Boots were going, He couldn't say he thought that would be fun.

" It's getting louder," Zack whispered, bringing Gregor back from his daydream.

Gregor just noticed it too. All the time they had been talking the scraping from the rats hadn't been too loud and the sound hadn't increased much. Now, though, the rats were getting impatient. The noise was bigger.

" Down to the laundry room!" he ordered. Lizzie sent him a worried glace as if to say, " Are you sure that's a good idea?" But she followed him, she was probably thinking 'parents and possibly having another panic attack vs. Ripred, code team, and Gregor'. Shannon and Zack did, too, they must have been intimidated by the rats.

They ran out of the room and into the hall after Gregor had gotten a flashlight and given it to Shannon saying, "You'll probably need it, it takes a long time to learn echolocation," all while smirking.

Everyone was quiet in the hallways, too anxious to speak. Everyone but Boots.

Boots was singing a mixture of song like 'Bat, Bat', 'Turn, and turn, and turn Again', The Prophecy of Secrets, and suddenly she said, "Temp, Gregor, we go see Temp?"

"Yep, I'm sure he'll be excited to see you pincess," he told, his voice bursting with anticipation.

" You're excited?!" he heard Zack say with distaste, " About going down to a place with giant rats and cockroaches?"

Gregor was offended. Apparently, so were Boots and Lizzie.

" Those _rats and cockroaches _just happen to be our friends!" said Lizzie, outraged. Gregor agreed with her whole-heartedly.

" Who are your friends Boots?" he asked her.

" emp! Temp my friend!" Boots screeched.

By now they were nearing the laundry room. Gregor ran for it just in time to see a furry gray head pop out of the grate and say, " Ovelander, you return!"

**A/N Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I'd like to say, " I hopped on a plane heading towards the Caribbean and went out on hotel& spa's balcony and sat writing all day," but I can't. Everything but Zack and Shannon and maybe some fliers that I might make up belong to Susanne.**

**Claimer: At least I own _something_ of virtual importance! Zack, Shannon, Nemesis, and Atlanta belong to me. shows fangs Uh, sorry.**

**A/N I have 148 hits and 7 reviews, 12 of those hits were for last chapter, so it must have been horrible.sobs I'm probably still leaving stuff out or mentioning something then not doing anything with it that makes it a good story. Now you all probably think I'm some person who thinks, " Oh boohoo, no one reads my story," but I'm not…I think… lets out an exasperated sigh.**

**Chapter 4: A Couple Bats, and the Beginning of A Friendship?**

**Shannon POV**

I stared at what looked like a giant bat for about 20 seconds while Gregor was talking to… to… it. Then Gregor turned to Zack and me.

" Didn't your mom ever tell you it's not nice to stare?" he said with a grin.

I almost smiled too, Gregor isn't really horrible. Zack just wants to make his life a living hell, so…, yeah, I got stuck doing it with him since he's my twin.

Noticing the obvious resistance to do anything from my brother, I said, " Shut up," and kneeled in front of Boots.

" Do you know who or what that is?" I asked, knowing that being 4 years old would make her not care if I said 'who or what'.

Instead of answering me, she tugged on Lizzie's sleeve, to get her to follow her, and walked over to the bat and waved in it's face. ( I still didn't want to call it a he.)

" HI YOU!" she yelled. Probably the whole building heard her. Which raised some alarm in Gregor.

"Hey, can you take us?" he asked.

"'Take us' is a pretty general term," I thought as I stood up. The bat probably knew , though, what Gregor meant because it responded by saying something like, " Yes, I shall get Atlanta. Also, I am named Nemesis."

Nemesis left to go get whoever he was getting and Zack, coming out of his trance, said, " What the frick is up with you people?"

I'll admit, I thought this was cool! I practically was offended myself. How could someone think seeing a live, giant bat wasn't wonderful? It was amazing to hear about the Underland, so incredible that I almost wanted to tell him it was so remarkably odd of him to say 'not cool.'

Yet I didn't. I was too worried about what would happen if Zack knew I only went along with what he said because I spent most of my time with him.

" The only _good _ thing that's happened in the last 2 minutes is that the scratching stopped," Zack concluded.

" That's not kind, and if Nemesis or anyone else heard you from down there, you wouldn't live to see the next day." I was surprised to hear Lizzie talk (especially saying that) after being silent for so long.

Nemesis appeared in the next ten seconds. " We are truly grateful that you are coming, warrior, since the cutters are acting," he said.

Gregor immediately looked worried, " There's a war with the cutters?" he asked.

" Only disagreements… but we fear it may become a war," purred another bat I just noticed. This bat was pure white, and judging by it's facial features and how it spoke, it was a she. Atlanta, I guessed, since that was a girl according to my text book.

" That's why we came, to leave a note, yet you were already here," concluded Nemesis, " So it shall be the male Overlander, and your two sisters on me, and you and the female Overlander on Atlanta. If they are coming?" Nemesis sounded almost hopeful.

" Yeah…" said Gregor, caught by realization, " Yeah, I guess they're coming."

I wanted to jump for joy, but everyone else was climbing onto the bat the were going to ride to… wherever, so I went too.

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2 minutes later ( still Shannon POV)

Gregor had been silent the whole trip, however long it might have been, and that + the darkness was unnerving.

" How long till we get to wherever we're going?" I asked, suddenly, I was frustrated, why didn't I know where I was going yet? Why?

" Oh… it might take, possibly, 10 more minutes before we get there. Also, we're going to a place called Regalia, where the human's live," he said, kindly too, so maybe he didn't hate me!

Suddenly, a female bat voice purred " Oh no, Overlander, we are not going to Regalia, has no one told you? The humans and us fliers lost it long ago. We are going to the Fount."

**A/N Sorry for not making it longer, everyone, but I didn't want to add anymore after that , I wanted to leave all of you hanging. On a cliff. So… cliff + hanging cliff-hanging or, in other words, I left you with a cliffhanger! Muhahahahahaha! Uh, sorry, I was having a random evil moment. Sorry about there not being any action, too, maybe in a couple of chapters. Please review and tell me what you all think? acts hopeful**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own the Underland Chronicles! Sheesh!

A/N I am so sorry I took so long to update! I was waiting for someone to review… but that's not a good excuse at all!

HHHHHHH

Chapter 5: Questions

Gregor POV

"Whaa…" Gregor said.

He was having trouble understanding this. There were only disagreements, but they couldn't go to Regalia since they had lost the city in war?

"Who did you lose it to?" Shannon asked.

It was a smart ides to ask that, and Gregor mentally smacked himself for not thinking of it.

"We lost it to rebellious gnawers, shortly after the war," Atlanta purred.

"Why do the gnawers want it? What could they do with the land around Regalia? It's not the type of land that's useful to gnawers!" Gregor exclaimed.

"If it took away our huge advantages at war, they would try to take it," Atlanta answered, quite calmly.

"Doesn't Ripred have control over them?" Gregor asked.

"No, and yes," Atlanta told him.

Gregor was confused. "So, if he had control over them, why didn't they have Regalia?" he thought.

"Who's Ripred?" Shannon piped up.

"Hey, Shannon, you know how I said there were giant rats in the Underland?" Gregor said, looking back at her.

"Yeah…, wait a second," she said, as she flicked on the flashlight, but only when Gregor had turned to face forwards again.

"Okay, ready."

"Well, Ripred's one of them," Gregor continued.

"Oh."

She didn't get shocked or ask him to elaborate, and Gregor was a little surprised.

"Ripred can give an order to all gnawers, but he never knew about this group, as they did not make themselves known," Atlanta continued.

"Ripred didn't know?!" Gregor asked, stunned.

"They didn't have meetings, just got messages around by visiting everyone," Atlanta purred, "Also, they just didn't want Ripred to find out, they were not completely against his leadership. I am assuming he proved himself a strong king," she added, as an afterthought.

Gregor guessed that everyone was still trying to get it back.

"Is the Fount farther than Regalia?" Shannon asked.

"Yeah, a lot farther," Gregor said, absentmindedly.

"You may sleep, if that is what you wish, you will not be able to after we stop halfway through our journey because we have to explain things," Atlanta suddenly stated.

"Why can't we now?" Gregor asked.

"Look," Shannon giggled.

Gregor whipped his head to look at Nemesis, Zack, Lizzie, and Boots. Zack was sleeping, and Lizzie was leaning against the back of Nemesis' head, holding Boots, who was also sleeping.

"You could explain it to us," Gregor said.

"It is the smoother part of the ride, Overlander, it shall be easier to sleep now." Atlanta declared.

Gregor looked around. The walls of the cavern they were flying through were smooth and the currents weren't as large as they could be.

"Are we past Regalia?" he asked.

"Yes, we went around it, through a series of tunnels."

"How long has it been?" Gregor furrowed his eyebrow, it didn't seem like long.

"A long time. You two should really sleep now, though." Atlanta purred gently.

"Okay…"

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Gregor was having trouble sleeping. Since he was drifting in and out of consciousness, it was hard to say he even was sleeping. There were a few things he could remember from his dreams, but just barely.

A head covered with brown hair was one image he remembered. Another was deep green eyes, quickly followed by something that resembled blood. A broken body was on the ground, but Gregor could not make out who it was.

He woke up, heard a voice, and quickly slumped back into a sleeping position. This must have happened at least every five minutes, but Gregor had no real way of telling.

Soon someone shook him awake, telling him to get up. He could see lights up ahead, though they were dim. Someone whispered in his ear, "Come one, Gregor, we're almost there. You seemed delirious, so we let you sleep. The Fount is up ahead. Brace yourself."

HHHHHHHHH

A/N- ZOMG! It's taken me forever to post. Wow. But I'm starting to write again. Yay!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Nope, I can honestly say I own these… -sees the government- Actually, I, uh, was just pulling your leg…

A/N- I know it's taken a while, but not nearly as long as last time. So be happy. I will make sure you people are content with my laziness. You simply have to be, 'cause I'm a slow updater…

**Chapter 6: The Difference of a Year**

Gregor POV

Gregor looked in shock at the people as he approached them. There were millions of people everywhere, crowding the streets, watching Atlanta and Nemesis land because they were bored from windows and people at many other different places. When he looked closely at the commoners faces, he saw that many people were sick, if not physically.

The people of Regalia lined the streets. He knew that at least three quarters of the population of the Fount were original Regalians. After all, hadn't Atlanta said that the cutters had attacked the human stronghold and won. It was actually very depressing. If another battle started, they wouldn't stand a chance at the Fount. The small branch of human society wasn't nearly as good for defending their land. Gregor found himself wishing there was another human city. Then they would have another chance, though it would exactly be a fair one.

As the two bats hit the ground, people seemed to come out of a trance and rushed up to them. Cries of "It's the Warrior!" were easy to hear, as most everyone was shouting that. Gregor briefly wondered if Shannon and Zack were totally confused, but soon forgot the thought because citizens soon pulled him off Atlanta, started dancing around him, kissing him (at least, the girls did), and started singing because of his return. He had no idea his return would be such a great thing for the Underlanders, and he looked around, bewildered.

Shannon slipped off after him, trying to hide her laughter. Zack dismounted, completely freaked out. Lizzie slid of Nemesis easily, holding Boots. They were being surrounded too, but Gregor noticed, somewhat selfishly, that the throng around them was considerably smaller. And, thank god, no one was kissing either of them.

And then Gregor saw a pair of eyes, and the world seemed to freeze. He knew those eyes. Very well, in fact. They held memories of times the two had spent together, and now new thoughts and memories filled them. And at that moment, Luxa and Gregor's eyes connected.

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"Come, Overlanders," Luxa said calmly, after Gregor had guided everyone over to her, explaining she was the queen of the Underlanders. Zack and Shannon apparently knew this already, though. Not her appearance, but her name and whatnot. Atlanta and Nemesis must have filled them in. Well, less work for Gregor.

So far, Luxa had been very regal, but sort of casual. She was showing them through the Fount's 'palace'. It was basically just a large building that was just the Fount's Governor's lodging. It was nice and cozy, unlike the Palace in Regalia. Gregor liked it quite a bit, actually. The only disappointing thing was simply that they weren't in Regalia. And now Gregor had to learn the halls and passageways of this structure. Which was somewhat aggravating, but he shrugged off the thought. It was no big deal compared to the other problems the Underland was having.

"Hey, what's that?" Shannon asked, pointing at some stone sculpture of a majestic figure. Now that she had mentioned it, everyone was gazing it at curiously or admiringly. Shannon, Luxa and Lizzie, the most mature of the group, were inquisitively looking at it, wondering who it was. The others were just gazing at the great sculpting. It was amazingly carved, with great details and everything.

Then Luxa remembered who it was, and for a second she looked terribly depressed. "That is a statue of my father…I can't believe I didn't recognize it at first! He is much younger…this must have been done right after his coronation."

Gregor immediately felt a pang of guilt. How could Luxa possibly be not crushed after seeing this? The teenager knew he would be too depressed to say if either of his parent's died. And here she was, gazing at a monument of her father. All that he knew to say to the was wow. She was very strong.

Quickly Gregor racked his brains for another subject, but Zack didn't seem to want to leave the topic of Luxa's father yet. He snorted, and said: "So, where is he? Why doesn't he rule the humans instead of a thirteen-year-old?"

Gregor's breath caught in his throat. Uh-oh. That wasn't what he had wanted to chat about. Actually, it was the exact opposite. Shannon seemed to notice how tense most everyone got, and was then a little apprehensive herself.

Luxa's lips became very thin. She looked like she was infuriated on the inside, but she knew better than to show that. She just took a deep breath, then answered.

"He is dead. My mother as well."

Shannon was probably about to make a statement, but Luxa cute her off, not finished.

"You Overlanders should go bathe. I will be in the Hall when you come out, if anyone needs me. The guards will show you to your chambers." With that, she nodded curtly and walked away.

**A/N- Filler chapter…**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own the damned series, for the last time.**

**A/N- Updating again. I want to get this story over with. It's my first, and not exactly good...but I'll finish**

**Chapter 7: The Prophecy of Falling, And The Traitor  
**

Gregor POV

The Prophecy of the Fallen

_Don't be ignorant, Underlanders,_

_Your city will fall first._

_Next your allies will walk away,_

_And soon your connections will burst.  
_

_A traitor will be first to leave,_

_After his talk with the foe._

_Watch that he is destroyed, _

_Or know that your civilization will blow.  
_

_A quest to the forgotten land,_

_Completed when the Overlanders descend._

_And when the gnawer decides to stand,_

_Humans will be something pretend.  
_

_When the end comes, good or bad,_

_Make sure you're not hanging on a thread._

_Also know that at the end of the quest,_

_Some of your company will be dead._

"Wow," Shannon muttered. Then, clearing her voice, she asked, "Are these prophecies always like this?"

Gregor, Shannon, Luxa, Lizzy, and Zack were currently in the Fount's war room, bending over a piece of paper. They all started talking, very quickly too. Luxa had ranted for a few minutes about a prophecy. She didn't know who had written it. Gregor was scowling, thinking of another quest. At least he wasn't mentioned specifically, for a change. Shannon was plain curious, but a little freaked out. Luxa was acting like...herself. Lizzie seemed really worried, and Zack was looking uncomfortable for various reasons. Boots was also in the room, playing with her long-lost crawler friend, Temp.

After they had all bathed, with the exception of Luxa, they had gathered in the Hall. She had been looking annoyed and agitated. It was easy to see something was bothering her. Just what, they weren't sure.

But the truth was soon told.

Luxa admitted that she had found the prophecy...in Ares' old hideout (here she glanced at Gregor). Then she had brought it back to Regalia, to find the human capitol under siege. Apparently it wasn't a pretty site, as Gregor had imagined.

When she first said 'prophecy', Gregor had rolled his eyes in exasperation. But his irritation didn't last, for soon she mentioned Ares. A single tear rolled down the boy's face, and then he went numb. His whole being froze, perfectly. The only reminder that the world wasn't frozen was that people were moving in front of him, waving hands in his face, asking what was wrong, et cetera. How predictable.

After finally managing to box up his feelings, Gregor asked, "Who do you think the traitor will be?" True, it wasn't like any of the others knew, but he could ask, right? Anything to change the subject if, indeed, they had been talking. Whatever.

Luxa shrugged. "It could be anyone. I'm prepared to bet it's Stellovet, though. She's always been odd. Just don't tell Howard I said that. He'd be terribly depressed. In fact, he's been acting strange lately too. I wonder if he thinks it could be her too..."

Luxa trailed off, a thoughtful look on her face. There was silence in the hall, then...

"Well!" Shannon's voice echoed a couple of times, and everyone turned a questioning eyebrow to her. "I meant, well, shouldn't we go sleep? I mean, I'm awfully tired."

Gregor looked at her weirdly and pointed out, "We slept on the way here."

Now she was getting flustered. "I just meant. Well, you see...What else are we supposed to do?"

Gregor, Luxa, and Lizzie exchanged devious looks.

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Two hours later, five people entered a mini version of the Arena at Regalia. Waiting for them were Aurora, Atlanta, Nemesis, Daedalus, and a small black, gray, and white striped flier named Thea.

Luxa mounted Aurora, and Shannon climbed on top of Atlanta's white fur. Gregor hopped to the back of Nemesis smoothly, and Daedalus let Lizzie scamper onto him. Thea stood there awkwardly until Boots jumped onto her. Gregor was pleased to see that Boots seemed perfectly at ease with the flier, and made Thea a little less uncomfortable.

Zack hadn't come with them; none of them knew why. But no one really cared but Shannon. They had all come to the conclusion that he would ruin things but her. After a while, though, she just shrugged it off and went with the other four, blind-folded.

She was now laughed while Atlanta flipped. The white bat was to instruct her until she got the hang of things. She seemed to be doing fine, though. Gregor supposed that she wasn't afraid of heights. He was jealous for a second, until he remembered how nauseous she got from airplane rides.

"Gregor, take this!" Luxa called, and threw a sword through the air to him. Nemesis quickly dropped down a bit then knocked Gregor into the air, and when he plucked the weapon out of the air, doing a somersault before neatly falling onto the gray bat's back. Everyone clapped, and he grinned.

Lizzie and Daedalus were just flying around, awkwardly exchanging a few words. They were catching up with each other.

That was the exact opposite of what was going on with Luxa and Aurora. The two were now performing a series of acrobatic moves, chatting normally while doing so. They made things seem so easy. It was beautiful.

It wasn't until much later that nine headed back to the 'Palace.' Daedalus had parted with them earlier; he had places to be, unfortunately. Gregor was sad to see the creamy-colored flier go. He was a good friend of Lizzie's now. It was a very good thing he hadn't died when the rats invaded Regalia.

But the rest happily laughed and talked like old friends, which, in a sense, they were. Shannon was Gregor, Lizzie, and Boots' cousin; Thea and Boots were totally comfortable around each other; Atlanta was a friend of Aurora's; and Nemesis was pretty friendly and out-going, though had a lot of sense. He was very likeable.

Gregor was somewhat surprised, because he heard that Atlanta and Nemesis were mates. Of course, he was happy for them. It was a nice thing, to be tied eternally to someone throughout love. Of course, they could have _two_ they loved completely. They could have bonds. But, oddly enough, neither did.

Sadly, the festive mood didn't last. When they entered the Hall, they were met by grim faces and strange looks.

A member of some type of council cleared his throat after a few moments of silence. Everyone looked at him, and then he said, "The Overlander, Zack, has disappeared. We believe he is he traitor in the prophecy."

**A/N- Ok, I updated. I hope you all liked it. Please review!**


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